Much Ado About Money
by fantasylover97
Summary: Au! Amy was left stranded on the streets, with her now poor family, wondering what in the world happened to their fortune. When suddenly, they find out they have a land that has not been taken away. A beautiful duck lake. However, it is already owned by another family, the Kabras. Suddenly, a fight for the land ensues... while they're living under the same roof.
1. Much Ado About Evan

Your wedding is supposed to be the best day in your entire life.

And for Amy Cahill, it was.

Everything turned out to be perfect: she looked more than beautiful in her Vera Wang gown, her husband was the most handsome groom in the entire world, everybody admired and adored her, the cake tasted splendidly... and best of all, she could rub it all in her older step-sister's face.

"I can't wait for the honeymoon!" Amy exclaimed, grinning as she jumped into the Just Married convertible. "Greece has always been my dream."

Evan Tolliver smiled back at his wife, feeling like the happiest man in the entire world. But... was it because he'd just gotten married to Amy, or because he'd gotten married to her fortune? He was about to reply something cheesy, but he knew very well that Amy hated mushy phrases. Instead, he only added, "I think I'll definitely enjoy walking around the outskirts of the city with you. I hear it's a wonderful experience."

"Well, dear husband of mine, when I'm involved, isn't it always a wonderful experience?" Amy replied, with air of superiority.

Evan smiled tightly. "Yup, charming."

The wedding guests all gathered round the car, throwing white petals and rice. Everybody waved bye, and children blew bubbles. In any other occasion, Amy wouldn't be too pleased with the bubbles popping, making her get soap all over her. But today was her wedding day. She could let anything slide. "Bye! Thank you for all the wonderful gifts!"

"And for coming!" Evan exclaimed, trying hard not to strangle the girl next to him.

Sure, she was pretty. Who could deny it? With her long waves of reddish-brown hair, sweet smile, button nose, and smiling green eyes, it was hard to think otherwise. But she was even more annoying than her stuck-up sister, Natalie.

Evan didn't know what was worse of the three remaining Cahills. First, there was that crazy step-mother of his wife's (how he hated that title), Hope Trent. She wasn't evil. From what he heard, she treated Amy like a daughter of her own. Hard not to do, since she'd been around since Amy had turned eight. But she certainly had something missing in her head: and that was her brain. Shopping and standing still to look pretty was the only thing that Hope could do right.

Sadly, her lack of brain could be explained by the overflow of intelligence of her twenty-six-year-old daughter, Natalie. At such a young age, she was already a known dentist. But that made her think that everything she said was right, and that she was the brightest creature in the world. Stubborn, prideful, and competitive were the three best words to describe that little demon.

And then there was Amy.

Evan turned to gaze at what he now had to call his wife, who was waving her slender arms at all the guests, blowing kisses in the air.

"Horrible," he muttered, not even able to plaster a grin.

It was hard to believe Hope and Natalie weren't blood-related to Amy. She had traits from both. Complete airhead, prideful, stuck-up, nagging, annoying, needy, whiny, hot-headed... the list could just go on and on.

"Alright, I think we should go now," Amy announced with a giggle, as she sat back down.

Evan's lips automatically curled into a smile. He'd been able to program himself to do so whenever her eyes landed on his blue ones. "Certainly, Mrs. Tolliver." The title left a sour taste on Evan's tongue.

However, it did get Amy all smiley. She clasped her hands together, sighing in content. "Amy Tolliver sounds so nice."

Evan wanted to grimace, but he simply chuckled. "I know. Now, put your seat belt on and let's get going. We have a plane to catch!"

"That's right. Let's go!" Amy ordered light-heartedly, grinning from ear to ear.

Evan stepped on the accelerator, and the car zoomed away from the church, passing through the beautiful gardens the after-party had taken place in. It was autumn, and everybody had been delighted at how much everything resembled to a fairytale, thanks to the leaves and their earthy tones, and how nicely they'd scattered all over the ground.

Evan gazed at his wristwatch, licking his lips nervously. Only three hours left. He gazed in trouble at the road ahead, wondering if his father would make it in time. All this time, you were probably wondering why Evan wasn't lamenting himself for his future with Amy. And that's because there won't be a future with Amy. The plan was to get her to trust him enough to tell him all the information her father had left behind of their chain of businesses. It required him to marry her, but the plan still succeeded. Right in that instant, his father was stealing ever single penny earned from the businesses, leaving the Cahill girls with absolutely nothing. The Cahill chain was already going bankrupt, anyways, so now, the Cahill girls would be done for. The marriage had not been registered. So any second now, he'd get a call from his father telling him everything was settled and she could leave her.

While Evan thought greedily of how much money their already rich family would receive, Amy was enjoying her life.

"Wait! Wait!"

Amy frowned, turning to look back. She gasped, grasping his shoulder. "Stop the car!"

Evan turned to give the twenty-three-year-old a confused gaze.

"_Stop_," she ordered, her cheery face morphing to a cold glare.

The car came to a halt, and soon, the elderly man running after the car could catch up.

"Uncle Fiske!" Amy exclaimed, grinning.

Evan's lips curled down in distate, as he inspected the worn-out and cheap suit the man was wearing.

Uncle Fiske smiled, out of breath. "I'm glad I got to see you before you left."

"Me too. For a second there, I thought you wouldn't come," Amy replied. She frowned in worry. "I heard from Mom that you're having health issues? Is everything okay?"

Evan snarled. Since when did she care about someone else's well-being? Oh, that's right, that was Fiske Kabra, her former butler. The man had been with the Cahills even before Amy had been born. With his gentle and moral manners, he certainly managed to gather respect from Amy. She loved him as a family member, and he loved her the same. In fact, he had a soft spot for the Cahill girls. They might've been quite incomprehensible, but he still cared for them. Sadly, three years before, he was forced to quit due to health issues.

As Uncle Fiske gave Amy his blessings, Evan scratched his head, frustrated. He knew Fiske Kabra too well. His granddaughter, Nellie, was another nuisance for the Tollivers. Too bad his older brother, Theo, could not escape from a future with her like Evan did. Nellie had married him three years before, when she was twenty-five. The Tollivers had only done it for some stupid duck lake they owned, that supposedly had petroleum underneath. But Theo hadn't found a way to tell his discoveries to the Kabras and ask them to dig it up.

"I brought you two wedding gifts," Uncle Fiske told the girl.

Amy smiled, always happy for gifts. "Really?"

The salt-and-pepper-haired man nodded, retrieving an envelope and a small package from his pocket. He handed them to her. "The letter is from your dad. He wanted me to give it to you when you married. And the package... that's from all of us."

Amy smiled, stuffing her hand inside the bag. She got out a small package of chocolate chip cookies, making her gasp in excitement. "No way! These were my favorite. It has been so long since I tasted these... oh my God, thank you so much!"

Uncle Fiske laughed. "I didn't think that you would get so excited."

"Are you kidding me?" Amy asked. "Your cookies have been my favorite ever since you first gave them to me. One of my most fondest memories is you telling me the story of your grandfather while I ate these. It even beats out the time that Stella McCartney herself gave me a pair of costume-made shoes!"

The senior gazed at the young girl in front of him lovingly. "That's good, because it's also one of my fondest memories... I still cannot get over the surprise when I hear that my little girl was getting married. And when Natalie's comes, it'll be another surprise!"

Amy ignored the mention of her loathed sister, since she suddenly felt a longing in her heart. She certainly missed the days when Uncle Fiske worked for them, when her father and grandma were still around, and when Burberry was still in.

"Hey, Mr. Kabra," Evan chimed in. He smiled sweetly. "How are you doing?"

"I'm doing just fine. If you are as charming with Amy as your brother is with Nellie, then I'll be even better," Uncle Fiske replied.

Amy smiled at Evan, handing him thumbs up.

Evan ignored the gesture, pretending to be too enthralled in his reply to Fiske to even notice it. "I'd love to stay and talk to you, since it's always great to catch up with you. But Amy and I have to leave."

Amy's smile disappeared.

"Of course. I understand," Fiske answered, stepping away from the car. He smiled at the two. "Have a good time, and don't you dare to not give me a call once you're there. I've always wanted to go to Greece, and it'd be nice to hear it from you two."

"We won't forget," Evan promised. "Bye!"

"Bye!" Fiske repeated, waving.

Evan pushed the accelerator, making the car zoom forward in a rapid manner.

"Bye Uncle Fiske! Love ya!" Amy exclaimed, waving at the elderly man. Once they were out of sight, she turned back around with a humph. She glared at her husband. "What did you do that for? There are still three hours left. Don't you know he came all the way from Montpelier to Boston?"

"Calm down," Evan replied, chuckling. "It's not that faraway."

"For a man in his late 80's it is!" Amy exclaimed, crossing her arms across her chest.

Evan sighed, pressing his lips together. The car ride was spent in silence. After a long amount of time, he finally found the words to say to her. "I'll make it up-"

His phone ringed.

Evan smiled.

Amy gazed expectantly at him. "You were saying something?"

"Not right now sweetheart," Evan said in a sarcastic tone.

Amy frowned. He never called her 'sweetheart'. And he'd even said it in a mocking tone. Perhaps, he was trying to lighten the mood by being playful? She watched him as his smile turned into a smirk, and he nodded.

"Aye, aye, Dad," he replied, not sounding like the guy she'd married. "I'm near the airport now. Should I drop her off here?"

Amy perked up at this, blinking in confusion. The confusion grew bigger as Evan ended the call, and his smile disappeared. He looked so cold and distant. Even Amy was slightly worried. Her worries increased as he began to pull over near the side of the street.

"What's going on?" Amy asked.

Evan remained silent. Once he stopped the car, he pointed outside. "Please stand up in front of the car."

"Why-"

"Just do it, love," Evan continued, pursing his lips in a smug manner.

Amy was too stunned to put up a fight and did as told. Once she was out, she watched in confusion as Evan bent back and grabbed her leather suitcase, which had been placed next to his on the backseats. He smiled sarcastically as he threw it at her.

"Your family has gone bankrupt now," he informed her. "And you know the Tollivers don't hang around penniless nuisances like you. Have a nice life."

And with that, he sped away, leaving the girl stranded in the middle of nowhere, wearing a wedding dress with a suitcase in tow.


	2. Louboutins Are Great Weapons

"B-bankrupt?" Hope stammered, gaping in horror at her lawyer, Mark Rosenbloom.

Mark grimaced. "I'm afraid so..."

"How can it be?" she exclaimed. "I'd just gotten out a check yesterday and it was al fine!"

Mark shook his head, shakily searching through his papers. "I'm afraid every single penny you have has been taken out. And there are more serious matters..."

Hope's mouth dropped even wider. "M-more? Oh my... I think I might faint..."

"Mother, don't over-exaggerate," Natalie chided the raven-haired woman. She turned to look at the lawyer. "Please, explain."

Mark adjusted his glasses, worry and fear flashing in his brown eyes. "Before Mr. Cahill passed away, there was a large debt left behind in his name. We are not sure of what happened, but the debt... it was quite... _huge_."

"And we have no more money!" Hope exclaimed. "Goodness gracious!"

"What can be done to pay it?" Natalie asked, ignoring her mother's outburst. "Maybe I can settle it with my earnings..."

"The amount of money... I calculated with what you could pay it," Mark replied, clasping his hands together. "It would sum up to selling your house and two of your three cars."

Now it was Natalie's outburst's turn. "No way! Not _my_ car!"

Meanwhile, in the middle of the highways, or heroine was still shocked, her eyes plastered on the direction the car left.

"What?" she gasped out, her eyes stinging with tears. "What in the world happened?" She looked around the streets, the speeding cars making her dizzy. She got out her phone, trembling, and dialed Evan's number.

No answer.

Amy sobbed, redialing the number. "Answer, please..."

This time, it went straight into voicemail.

"Answer, you idiot!" Amy exclaimed, tears freely spilling down her cheeks as she kicked her bag to the ground. With one sob, she plopped down on top of it, burying her face in her hands.

While the Cahill girls were witnessing their perfect life crumble into pieces, the Kabra family was having a very nice lunch. Their oldest son, Dan, had finally dropped by, and it was the first time in months he joined them to eat at that hour.

"Mmm, spaghetti!" the twenty-six-year-old exclaimed, grinning as if he was still nine. "What's the special occasion?"

Isabel smiled warmly at her son. "That you could finally join us... plus, your ascent in your job."

"Very good job, son!" Vikram announced.

Ian smiled at his older brother.

"Who would've thought that you'd be going from a Tae Kwon Do teacher," Isabel mused. "To the co-owner of the centre."

"I was quite shocked when Professor Oh called me into his office," Dan admitted. "I swore he was going to kick me out of the place."

"I wonder what kind of shenanigans you've done to be scared of that," Vikram told him, smiling.

The family chuckled at Dan's troublemaking ways.

"I swear, I've been very obedient in the past months," Dan told them, munching down a spoonful of spaghetti.

"I also heard that you've switched apartments last month," Isabel said. "When are you going to invite us over and show us around?"

"When I'm done unpacking," Dan answered. He took a sip of water before continuing. "In fact, there's spare room for another resident in my new apartment. I was wondering if Ian would like to move in with me, now that he's gotten a job as a middle school History teacher."

Vikram smiled proudly at his son.

The twenty-four-year-old snapped his head up. Unlike Dan, adventurous and outgoing, he was more on the homey and quiet side. Which was why he was hesitant to move out of home.

Isabel seemed slightly unsettled. Dan and Nellie had already moved out. And even if Nellie lived in the house next door, she was already making a family of her own. Sure, Jake would still be around, but still... she couldn't bear with the moving out of another child of hers.

"I don't know," Ian replied.

"Let him think about it," Isabel chimed in, smiling nervously.

"That's right, the two remaining sons are a tad too loyal to their homes," Dan said. "Speaking of which, where is Jake?"

"He's probably with Atticus at the lake," Isabel answered. "He thinks of Atticus as his little brother, and of that lake as his son. Especially the ducks."

A troubled look appeared on Dan's face. "Atticus as in... Jonah Wizard's younger brother?"

"Obviously," Isabel said, serving herself more water. "There's only one Atticus in this neighborhood... if you could even call it that, since the only other people living here other than us are Irina's family, the Starlings, and Nellie."

Ian and Dan shared a troubled glance. It might not be clear to you now, because it will be explained later. Just have in mind that it has to do with a bet that Dan lost.

"When's grandpa coming back?" Ian asked, trying to change the topic.

Vikram gazed at the clock hanging on the wall. "Well, judging by the time, he'll probably come in time for dessert."

"I wonder if he'll bring back some rich people's cuisine from that wedding," Dan mused, smiling at the thought. Of course, the food had erased any problems he could have out of his memory.

Isabel smiled. "Maybe... that Cahill girl certainly married at a young age. I wonder how her mother is feeling now."

"What baffles me the most," Vikram begun. "Is that the girl is younger than both kids at this table, and she's already married. Shouldn't you Dan be the one coming home to tell me you're proposing to a pretty lady?" Vikram pointed a fork accusingly at his son.

The troubled look returned to Dan's face.

"Do you expect him to come home with a fiancée in hand when he hasn't had a girlfriend in six years?"

The four family members turned to look at the doorway, where Jake was patting their cat, Saladin. Dan and Jake had been adopted, which was why they looked nothing like the Kabras. But still, they were as handsome as Ian and Vikram. Especially Jake.

"Jake!" Isabel exclaimed.

Jake smiled, sitting in his usual spot. "What's all this talk about marriage?"

"Your father being his weird self," Isabel explained, glaring at Vikram. "He wants his son to get married already. Isn't it enough with Nellie?"

"He is twenty-six. He should at least have a girlfriend," Vikram stated matter-of-factly.

"Why are you all looking at me?" Dan asked. "Ian's the one who's never had a girlfriend in his entire life."

Twenty-three-year-old Jake grinned.

"Of course he has," Isabel replied. "I'm sure he dated Sinead. He just doesn't want to admit it because of the loathing between your dad and hers."

Ian opened his mouth to protest, but Isabel continued.

"They're definitely dating right now," Isabel said. "I know it. And Ian, you shouldn't hide it. You're a grown man now, so I'm sure your father won't oppose anymore-"

"Mom," Ian began.

"However, there might be trouble at the wedding, since Mr. Starling and Vikram might cause some ruckus..." Isabel mused.

Ian choked in his own saliva. He gulped down water. "What? Wedding? Mom, there's absolutely never been anything between Sinead and I other than friendship."

"Oh really?" Isabel challenged, smirking.

As they continued to discuss the matter, Amy was walking down the highway, suitcase in tow. She definitely did look like a crazy woman. Her face was stained with make-up-filled tears, and her eyes were puffy from all the crying. The wind caused by the speeding cars had slightly altered her hairstyle. And that pout in her lips didn't help much either.

Amy looked hesitantly at the road next to her. She sobbed dryly. "How am I even gonna do this?" She slightly raised her forearm, but quickly dropped it back again, humphing in frustration. "I'm Amy Cahill, I can't be doing this!" She continued her way in boastful strides, but soon stopped again. Her eyes involuntarily shifted at the road. "But my feet are aching." Shutting her eyes close, she slowly raised her thumb, asking for a ride back to the city. Sadly, cars zoomed by, and none stopped. Amy's mouth was wide in shock. Nobody was going to help her! Her eyes widened as a car went past her, and the driver slowed down... just to laugh at her. As it began to speed up again, Amy grabbed her heel and flung it at the car's trunk. She later gasped in horror. "That was a Louboutin... oh God." She gazed at her now bare foot. She began to wail again, kicking off the other heel.

Suddenly, her phone ringed.

Sniffing, she got out her Samsung Galaxy and accepted the call. "Hello!"

"D34..."

Amy gazed at her phone's screen, frowning. _Mom_. She pressed it against her ear. "Mother?"

"Oh, Amy! I need to inform you of something," Hope replied, clearly worried.

"Bingo! Bingo!" she heard Natalie exclaim. "Bingo!"

"Where are you?" Amy questioned.

"Wait a sec," Hope said. "We won? We won! Bingo! Bingo!"

"No!" some elderly woman exclaimed. "_I_ won. That mattress and bed sheets are now _mine_."

"What are you talking about?" Natalie exclaimed. "We won! See? We filled the tablet first!"

A more youthful voice said, "Ladies, ladies, this can all be fixed-"

"No, this woman is cheating! I demand her to be kicked out of the facility," Natalie ordered.

"Mom, are you by chance at the bingo thing? The one every Friday that offers home stuff as prizes?" Amy asked, grasping her necklace in horror.

"It had to be done," Hope explained, as Natalie continued to rant with the announcer. "We had to sell everything. Arthur left a huge debt behind. The lawyer had told us that we only had to sell the house and the two cars-"

"_What?_" Amy exclaimed, her eyes nearly popping out.

"But the debt turned out to be even bigger," Hope continued. "We had to sell the remaining car and our furniture. We are bankrupt, dear-"

Amy's eyes filled with tears.

Hope's voice was trembling. "No more money, no house... tonight we'll be sleeping at Natalie's clinic. Mr. Rosenbloom says he'll try to keep it confident, since it'll certainly ruin our dignity if word got out. And it might also stain your father's name, since people will think he owed the debt to a casino or something... you know how those people are. Anyways, I wanted to tell you just in case word did get out and it appeared on the news. Gladly, you'll be with Evan, so he might comfort you-"

Amy wailed. "Mommy!"

Hope suddenly broke out in tears. "Amy! I miss shopping! My manicures!"

"Mommy," Amy continued wailing. "Evan left me! I'm in the middle of the street!"

"What?" Hope sobbed. "You mean... that we are really done for, now? The Tollivers won't even help us?"

"He kicked me out of his car! He never loved me!" Amy exclaimed, crying hysterically.

Hope joined along.

"I think you need the mattress and the bed sheets more than me, Miss," the elderly woman told Natalie.


End file.
